South Dakota Political Activity: What you need to know

An employee entitled to vote in any election held within the state who does not have 2 consecutive hours off on voting day, including primary elections, when the polls are open must be granted 2 consecutive hours off without loss of pay during the workday to vote. The employer may specify the times such employee may leave the workplace to vote. Employers are prohibited from penalizing employees for taking leave to vote. An employer that refuses to grant time off for voting according to these provisions, or penalizes an employee for taking time off, is guilty of a misdemeanor (SD Cod. Laws Sec. 12-3-5).

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Employers may not pay employees in pay envelopes inscribed with political messages containing threats, express or implied, that are intended to influence the political opinions or actions of the employees. Within 90 days of an election, employers may not post signs in the workplace threatening plant closure or reduction of wages or workforce given a particular political outcome or containing any other threat designed to influence the employees' political opinions or actions (SD Cod. Laws Sec. 12-26-13).

South Dakota Political Activity Resources

Political Activity Products

2012 Election Issues for Employers - Special Report DownloadNew special report will explain how to manage political behavior at your workplace. Employers must be familiar with the important federal and state laws surrounding voting laws, political activity in the workplace, their own conduct, and the conduct of their employees."

Record retention is complex and time consuming. However, in addition to complying with various federal and state laws, keeping good, well-organized records can be very helpful in documenting and supporting an organization’s employment actions.
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This special report will discuss how you can ensure your records are in good order, and establish a record-retention policy.